Welcome to Magle International Music Forums! A community covering a wide array of musical genre. You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and articles. By joining our community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members, upload your own music and photos, and access many other special features. Registration is absolutely free so please, join our community today!

Inner Odyssey (prog metal gem)

Hailing from Quebec is a new Canadian gem INNER ODYSSEY. They play a versatile blend of progressive rock and metal. For a debut, ‘Have A Seat’ has a sensational level of creativity, an artful melding of depth and technical precision. Very impressive album from start to the finish. The first track begins with a Pink Floyd entrance. Then the style turns into hybrid of Dream Theater/Metallica. It casually flows into PT(at their melodic side). This is transformed to Opeth… But apart from obvious references the music of Inner Odyssey is a self-indulgence: with a soulful voice of Pier-Luc Garand-Dion, supported by other members. Excellent point is Vincent Leboeuf-Gadreau with his guitar mastery. The drummer Йtienne Doyon and bassist Simon Gourdeau lay down rhythms, the keyboards of Mathieu Chamberland add melodic color to cross a wide range of barriers…

I had great expectations for the second release from Canadian prog-band INNER ODYSSEY. Begs the trivial question: was it worth the wait? Yeah, 'Ascension’ is a fabulous affair! It can literally take your breath away. Beside graceful musicianship and terrific songwriting, young fellows bring artistic integrity. Each song blends perfectly with the concept of metaphorical journey through the life, accompanied by inescapable questions that depend on different age stage. Étienne Doyon is responsible here for the lead singing and percussion. The guitar textures (Vincent Leboeuf-Gadreau) are underpinned by bass department (Simon Gourdeau), while Mathieu Chamberland provides the keyboards intention. The album’s opener, ‘Why Am I Here (Ouverture)‘, slowly gains momentum, holding a vibe where nice chords are alternated by powerful work. This segues into ‘Something More’, larded with the guitar gimmicks, interspersed between agility of keys and tight rhythmic section. Thereafter, ‘A World Of My Own’, which is replete with sonic surprises and whimsical performance. The middle section contains Spanish-esque fragment. Next up, ‘My Purpose’ has enough room both for enchantment and for virtuosity. Heir, titled ‘Losing Your Mind’, sounds at times vigorous, at other moments fragile, but without losing sight of the common message. Again, the intertwining harmonies create a special palette. Drifting ‘Crawl’ exudes flavour, bound by the vowel system and instrumental passages. Then, things turn to ‘Lifelong Misery’, using a barrage of potent riffs and intriguing synthesizer lines, thrown in for good measure. Bass and drums battle it out amidst significant signatures. The flute is also present in the mix. Gentle ‘Introspection’ shows a sense of restraint that’s underscored by piano melody and the fine vocal delivery. Bursting out in a prog-metal style, instrumental ‘Retrospection’ gives offensive template. It's mighty and furious. By contrast, a smooth ballad ‘You Are Not Alone’ glides to soothe. Its melodic pattern can remind of the opening track. For the completion, comes versatile ‘Where It Begins, Where It Ends’ (Finale), a melting pot of cool ideas, featuring excellent placement of accents... In sum, I can rate this CD as the strongly recommended purchase! Just imagine, if Pink Floyd, It Bites, Porcupine Tree, Anathema, Dream Theater and Transatlantic got together and worked on one album - it would sound much like 'Ascension'.